Why you don't want to work for or invest in CPI Corp. Updated as it comes in.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Working off the clock

I wanted to further highlight an passage of the previous post

"I come in and work off the clock because I have to watch our labor"

This (among everything else in that post of course) really shows the fear that SPS instills in their workers: the workers are so worried about their jobs that they will work for free just to try and keep a number .25% closer to a goal. If that isn't taking ownership of your studio, I don't know what is.

I know that SPS doesn't allow working off the clock, but I spent a lot of time doing it. Shoot, I was already spending most of my lunch delivering out pictures and answering phones anyhow: might as well just devote the whole lunch to working. That way I could maybe get my closing tasks done earlier and not get in trouble for poor time management for taking too long to close when I have an appointment that comes in near close. Better to have a job and give away some free labor than to not have a job at all I figured since ever day seemed like new opportunity to be written up.

Other than Sears Portrait Studio, have you worked at any other dying businesses? How did your time there compare to working at SPS?

20 comments:

Been there done that at PMPS. The company wishes you could come in on your own time all the time.

CPI made money the first quarter of the year according to their SEC filings. In their filings with the U.S. Gov't they state that sittings are down because of the downturn in the economy. How many DM's have been saying it is your fault for the reduction in sittings?

I am not working off the clock for anything. I will stick them hard. They want me to take someone exactly at closing time I am going to take them.

I quit trying to tell the DM that the reason hours are over every week is because of late appointments that we have to take or we will be let go. We have no double coverage whatsoever so it is just one person in the studio.

We have the mystery callers that are calling us to book appointments at closing time and then the DM wants to chew me out over hours. They are costing themselves money more and more.

To previous anon...Just one of the many contradictions that is CPI. "Take a break or we will fire you"...."Don't turn away customers ever"..."Take customers at closing"....Don't go over hours"...."Give great customer service while doing sits and deliveries and answering the phone and...." NONE of these things are reasonable or attainable the way they are running the company. It's just their way of protecting themselves when you can't possible adhere to the rules and they want you gone.

I work at a Wal-Mart studio and I am wondering if you get bombarded with job reviews all the time that are not true at Sears? They are very subjective to the persons attitudes towards the person recieving them. If they were really a sign of performance they would have a difference outside person do them. I don't have any confidence in the DM anymore.

I got a DM that says I am not producing good pictures even though the customers feedback is great. The DM has really never taken a lot of pictures herself because she was hired as a DM. It is just ironic because I have one of the best sales dollar avg.'s out of the district way above goal.

I have never gotten these reviews like this in the past. It is just all of the sudden that she has it out for me. My numbers are slightly off from last year and that is getting thrown up in my face by her constantly. She even asked me to step down from being manager because of it. If customers don't have any money around here you can't shake them until all the change is out of their pockets.

I gotta find something new to do in my life. Will I be able to file for unemployment if they make me step down to an associate against my will? Since it will be a major paycut as far as bonus money and driving all over town as an associate. We only have one person in a studio at a time so the associate is lucky to get 2 days a week at the same studio.

My schedule says i am OFF at 6pm. OFF!!! That means, that no matter who is there or who walks up, i should be able to leave or else i get overtime. At least, any other job ive ever had has been that way.

And Flex. Doesnt that technically mean im "On Call". I have to waste my whole day staying home and seeing if i am going to be needed.... that means i should get paid. Flex means we are on House arrest for that day.

I need off when im told by my schedule that i will be off. I DO have a life outside of SPS..... even tho that is against their beliefs.

I love it when you get hired or interview for the job they tell you they have flexible hours. They don't tell you that your the one that is flexible and not vice versa. I would like the company to be flexible for me for a change....NOT!!!!!!!

I know states vary significantly on labor laws, and my state's laws aren't particular weighted in favor of labor, but surely there must be some limit to flex hours. At my studio, several people have been assigned more--significantly more-- flex hours than regular hours. I know CPI wants to have their cake and eat it too, but it's crazy when you have to set aside several days of your week, which could be used to earn money otherwise, and aren't guaranteed work on any of them. For instance, can a company force you to reserve a 35 hour week for them, but only guarantee you 4 or 8 hours of pay? Anybody know how they can get away with this?

When your a manager your on call all the time so yes your pretty much at their beckoning call whenever.

There is no federal law that says they can only work you so long. The only thing that keeps them from working you too long is overtime pay. There might be some states that have laws for breaks but there is no Federal Law.

PMPS can reserve the whole time we are open 7 days a week if they want too.

Another thing they can change whenever your pay period starts, make you work without a lunch is legal in the U.S.A. but not some states.

just tired....so tired. i use up my store of patience and then some at work. i came home and was so out of it i just picked up the broom with an urge to slam it through the television because i was annoyed at the bratty kid on tv. thats how drained and crazy SPS makes me.

It is true there is no Federal law pertaining to breaks, but each state usually has a set guideline for employers to follow. You can easily find your state by Googling. I do know that in Cali, the law for "flex" or on call does depend on a few things like how long they expect you to take getting to work and if you are restricted as far as how far away from home you can be. If you are unable to be personally productive and respond quickly, then they must pay you to be on call at the rate of at least minimum wage.

CPI's "flex shift" is not legal in more than a few states. It is considered to be an "on call" shift and employees are to be paid for the hours scheduled whether they were worked or not. A little research would probably net some of you a nice little check for all the times you were ON CALL and not paid for it.

To the person who inquired about collecting unemployment if demoted...it depends on your state. Don't willingly step down-make them demote you. You then might be considered "partially unemployed" and the state will supplement your income. You will have to report your earnings every 2 weeks and be looking for full-time employment. In my state, they pay 125% of your eligible amount if you are working.

We just got an email from our district manager stating that if a customer shows up 15 minutes..or at 2pm.. before leaving for lunch we are to take the walk in..not to turn them away. HOWEVER.. we are required by company to take that one hour off. Make sure you are documenting the appointment because when your dm later wants to know why you didn't take a break at 2.....you better have your eggs in a basket...emailing him/her and then printing that copy should be done..just in case you get wrote up for it.

Because last week I took a walk in at 2:10...and got gripped at for not taking a break at 2..guess who has another write up???????

The 2-3pm "lunch hour" thing is just such a great example of the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't ambiguities that pervade the CPI work experience. As another poster mentioned, this way they'll always have something to use against you and another way to ramp up fear, desperation and paranoia. Calling it a lunch hour just irks me, as I probably took a total of 7 lunch breaks in the year prior to its institution. It's an off-peak shutdown to save on labor. Call it what it is, a labor break! If your average sale is $120 and they pay you in the vicinity of $8/hour, then the company will clear at least $60 dollars after expenses on a typical 2pm walk-in. It's terrible to write up someone for making you money, especially when they've likely forfeited their only opportunity for a break. If you're closed from 2-3pm and you don't want to send mixed signals to customers, then close period. Again, CPI wants their cake and the opportunity to eat it too. It's maddening to work for this company.

the reason for the 2-3 lunch break is two fold. One-to save on labor and not have to have double coverage to cover the legally required breaks. And Two-trying to cover themselves in all the class action lawsuits out there and appear to be giving employees actual breaks. Tammy Christiansen in HR told me that because CPI is in all states and all state laws differ, they follow the most stringent ones to ensure no lawsuits. I know, funny huh? The flaw in that theory is that they only THREATEN to fire people and start untrue rumors that managers are getting fired all the time for not getting or giving breaks. Name one! They can't either. The mere nature of the business means people walk-in or take too long or babies get hungry or need changed, and we are not allowed to turn anyone away. Well which is it??? Do I take a break and get fired for not taking the walk-in, or take the walk-in and get fired for not taking a break? I would love everyone to pose that question to their DM's and higher ups to see how they answer. I bet a lot of skating the subject and switching topics occurs.

its been asked to my DM and ignored as if i didnt ask the question to begin with. when i inquired again i was told great question i will address it at the end of the conf call. at the end of the call it was a quick..."any other ques? no? goodbye!" clickor theres always the standard "well how often does that happen in the studio really? once in awhile is exceptable" how about 5 days out of 7? cause thats how often i see it

saying "once in a while is acceptable" is saying "breaking the law sometimes is okay". i advise every manager to keep their timecards printed and at home in a file for the day the lawyers call you as a witness. keep notes on which of those days you did clock out but stayed in the studio and did ANT type of work off the clock, or when you went to the food court and answered work calls on your cell phone. ANY interruption is strictly forbidden when you are clocked out, even the phone calls at home. We are not brain surgeons on call people, its PICTURES! No matter how important we want to feel or how we want to be viewed as "team" players, any interruption of our personal lives while off the clock is a violation.

My manager has said that "We give you a chance to take a break but it is your fault if you don't get to". So, it was really my fault when a perfect opportunity to take my break appeared, and I moved to go, and she told me "No! Another session is more important. Go smile search and you can take it later" so smile search I did... and sure enough with people walking away before their viewings, and assorted interruptions setting me back 10 minutes each time, the day ended without me getting a break and it was "all my fault". What BS.